Affiliation:
1. Department of Trauma Surgery, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA
Abstract
Gallstone ileus is an uncommon but well-described occurrence in general surgery. However, discrepancy regarding optimal surgical management with 1 or 2 stage operation is still debated. This case report presents a 73-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a small bowel obstruction due to a gallstone lodged in a portion of the proximal ileum. The patient was also noted to have persistent cholelithiasis and cholecystoduodenal fistula. A single-stage surgery involving enterolithotomy, cholecystectomy, fistula repair, and cholangioscopy was performed. The patient progressed well and was discharged home without recurrent symptoms. Therefore, in a hemodynamically stable patient with persistent cholelithiasis or choledocholithiasis, it is reasonable to perform a definitive single-stage operation.